If you were afraid the Catskills was becoming the default destination for millennials priced out of the Hamptons and was losing its hippy vibe, rest assured. This deeply trippy cabin in Woodstock, NY is proof that weird stuff still thrives in upstate New York despite the encroachment of the cabin-porn, farm-to-table obsessed, Bobo set. Just about everything about this three-bedroom house, now on the market for $1.2M, is psychedelic from its original architect and design to its current owner.
The home is the brainchild of John Kahn, an artist, woodworker and set builder best known for his set designs for The Muppets and the Big Apple Circus. A close friend of Muppets creator Jim Henson, Kahn infused a strong sense of whimsy, magic and kookiness into just about everything he did including the Henson Headquarters (also known as the Muppet Mansion or the HQ of Henson Associates), Henson’s personal home in upstate New York and the sets of Fraggle Rock among many other projects. “Tower House,” as the home is referred, is perhaps the greatest testament to Kahn’s singular brand of deeply groovy, mind-bending love of nature and the bizarre.
The 3,518-square foot home is made up of five levels, connected by a sweeping spiral staircase. True to his woodworker bona fides, Kahn incorporated a collection of found materials in the home’s design including reclaimed wood, steel, fabric, glass and blue slate stone sourced from the surrounding environment.
Tower House is topped with a steel steeple and viewing deck made from aircraft grade aluminum fashioned into a fish scale pattern.
Each side of the circular structure’s facade features unique detail and old-world craftsmanship including multiple porches, patios and seating areas to take in the view. The interior of the house brings the outside in with multiple skylights and windows of all shapes and sizes.
This is a view of the guest house from the main house’s upstairs area.
The 5.5-acre property also includes a guest house, a sauna imported from Sweden, an artist’s studio and a barn.
The home’s grooviness runs deep and has been passed from owner to owner. In 2007, Kahn sold the house to Rhoney Gissen Stanley, who was former secretary to the Grateful Dead and wife of Owsley Stanley, the Dead’s sound man and the alleged first mass producer of LSD. Kahn, in turn, moved to Easter Island, a more remote but equally mind-bending residence as Tower House. Currently, Rhoney is a homeopathic orthodontist in Woodstock and has written a book about her years with Owsley, the Dead and LSD. If you look closely in the image above, you will note a carefully fluffed Dead pillow.
Only time will tell who the future owner of Tower House will be but it’s safe to say that it most likely will not be a Westhampton refugee.
The kitchen
A semi-circular bedroom with a tie-dye tablecloth on the nightstand.
The spiral staircase connects five levels of interior space.
The seating room and observation area at the top of the spiral staircase
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